The Newport Insurance Company was established in 1799. The president was Samuel Elam (1750-1813). The Newport Insurance Company most likely became absorbed into the the Rhode Island Union Bank (founded in 1804). Samuel Elam was the president of the bank until his death. The Rhode Island Union Bank was reorganized to the Union National Bank in 1881, which eventually became Bank Boston and is currently the modern-day Sovereign Bank. For more information see Newport History, 209 (1987).
There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment.
Researchers are advised that express written permission to reproduce, quote, or otherwise publish any portion or extract from this collection must be obtained from Newport Historical Society. Although NHS has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Newport Insurance Company records, MS-2012-1, Newport Historical Society.
This single-series collection consists of 12 bound volumes of business records from the Newport Insurance Company, and two folders. The volumes include insurance policies and ledger books. The folders contain other company records, including the charter and share certificates.
Insurance policies from the Newport Insurance Company can also be found in the records of individual ships. Those records are duplicates of the insurance policies found in the bound volumes.
The records are arranged in one series:
The accession of these materials are unknown. It is speculated that they were one of the first deposits taken in by the Newport Historical Society in the mid to late nineteenth century.
This series is arranged alphabetical by type, and then chronologically. Each of the bound volumes are numbered.
Two shares of Newport Insurance Company stock belonging to Henry Potter. Shares numbered 320 and 321.
This bound volume contains records of business for the Newport Insurance Company, 1799-1807. The ledger is an original oversized leather and decorated bound volume, not bound by NHS. The spine indicates that the ledger covers the years from 1799-1809, but it appears to only cover up to 1807.
This original leather bound, decorated volume is the record of transactions of the Newport Insurance Company from 1809-1812. There is a good amount of worm damage in the last pages, which are blank.
The bulk of this bound volume contains copied letters written on behalf of the Newport Historical Society, including a letter to Thomas Jefferson, then President of the United States. Not bound, but within the books' pages, are additional correspondence and business records. Many pages of the volume are blank. Though the spine indicates there are records as late as 1865 included, that does not appear to be the case.
This original leather bound, decorated volume covers insurance policies numbered 116-351, dated October 5, 1799 - September 13, 1800. This record book exhibits a good deal of worm damage.
This original leather bound, decorated volume covers insurance policies numbered 352-539, dated September 13 ,1800 - June 4, 1801.
This original leather bound, decorated volume covers insurance policies numbered 542-827, dated June 6, 1801 - November 12, 1802. This volume exhibits some worm damage, and the cover has detached from the spine.
This original, oversized leather bound, decorated volume contains policies of the Newport Insurance Company numbered 828-1128 and dated from November 13 1802 - May 6 1804. This record book is in poor condition, the cover has detatched from the spine and the back cover is partially detatched.
This original leather bound, decorated volume covers insurance policies numbered 1129-1419, dated May 13, 1804 - December 6, 1805.
This original leather bound, decorated volume covers insurance policies numbered 1420-1697, dated December 7, 1805-September 29, 1807. Policy number 740, dated May 21, 1802 was found within the front cover, and remains there.
This original leather bound, decorated volume covers insurance policies numbered 1698-1976, dated October 1, 1807 - November 15, 1810. This volume exhibits some worm damage.
This original leather bound, decorated volume covers insurance policies numbered 1979-2228, dated November 17, 1810 - March 25, 1812. Several insurance policies are blank at the end of the record book.